Raising fowls profitably on a commercial scale involves the use of plastic pipelines, usually hundreds of feet long, equipped with numerous spaced drinking cups that dispense water in response to pecks by the fowls. Bearing in mind that low profit margins make it mandatory to minimize labor costs, such a water system should be capable of being easily and quickly installed and just as easily serviced and repaired when necessary. The watering cups must be capable of being periodically elevated in a time-saving manner as the birds mature. Above all, sanitary conditions must prevail at low maintenance cost, it being essential to keep the watering cups clean and to keep the fowls from perching on the pipeline. In addition, all exposed surfaces should be smooth and easily cleaned.
With further reference to sanitation, it is highly undesirable to lay the pipeline on the floor because it becomes an obstacle to freedom of movement on the part of the birds and, more important, because the underside of the pipeline forms crevices to trap food and foreign materials. It is further important that the drinking cups be sufficiently elevated to keep them from being fouled by the birds. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Water at a relatively low head is supplied to a pipeline that is made up of 10 foot sections of PVC pipe interconnected by plastic couplings, the opposite ends of the couplings simply telescoping into the pipe ends. The couplings carry O-rings to seal the joints effectively and with the aid of suitable lubricant the couplings may be quickly and easily installed.
The pipeline is both supported and enclosed by a corresponding housing assembly made up of ten foot sections of sheet metal of the cross-sectional configuration of inverted channels and the housing sections are interconnected by inverted sheet metal channel members that correspond to the plastic pipe couplings. Thus both the pipeline and its protective housing may be extended indefinitely by 10 foot increments.
The downwardly extending side webs of the housing sections converge for supporting engagement with the underside of the plastic pipe and form a narrowed longitudinal slot, the slot clearing downwardly extending branches of the plastic pipe that carry the individual drinking cups. Thus a section of the pipe with its pendent watering cups may be easily slid lengthwise into a corresponding housing section.
The housing sections are supported by hangers which, in turn, are supported from above by cables and in the preferred practice of the invention, a winch and cable system makes it possible to raise and lower a long run of the watering system as a single unit. Thus minimum time and effort are required for periodic changes in the elevation of the water cups as the birds mature. Each hanger serves a dual purpose in that it not only hooks under a housing section to support the housing section but also confines the two side webs of the housing section to keep them from spreading apart and thus releasing the plastic pipe.
With reference to sanitation, one feature of the invention is that the watering cups are directly below the sheet metal housing to be protected from above by the housing. In addition, the pipe itself is enclosed by the housing. As for the housing itself, it has a smooth corrosion-resistant surface that may be readily cleaned or dusted whenever desired.
Another feature is the concept of providing a "hot" line or electrically charged conductor just above the housing to keep the birds from perching on the housing. Suitable snap-on insulators are quickly attachable to the housing sections to hold the charged conductor in correct position and are designed for quick engagement with the cable.
With the drinking cups mounted on downwardly extending branches of the pipeline, the pipeline itself is elevated well above the heads of the birds. Consequently floor area is free from any crevices created by the pipeline that would tend to trap food or foreign particles and with the pipeline up out of the way and with the water cups elevated, the floor area is unencumbered for maximum freedom of movement by the birds.
The preferred practice of the invention is further characterized by the concept of incorporating into each coupling a suitable plastic valve that not only is reliable and easy to operate but also provides convenient visual indication of whether the valve is open or closed. With the plastic valves spaced ten feet apart, it is a simple matter to isolate any 10 foot pipe section for repair and replacement of drinking cups. With all of the valves closed, the valves may be opened in sequence along the length of the pipeline to supply water to the pipeline section by section for a quick check on the working condition of all of the drinking cups.
The features and advantages of the invention may be understoood from the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings.